Man Utd draw Barcelona, Tottenham to face Man City in Champions League quarter-finals

Man Utd draw Barcelona, Tottenham to face Man City in Champions League quarter-finals

Liverpool to meet Porto, Ajax drawn against Juventus

Tottenham have been drawn against Manchester City in an all-English Champions League quarter-final tie, while Manchester United will face Barcelona.

In the other two ties, last season’s finalists Liverpool were drawn against Porto, while Real Madrid’s conquerors Ajax will face Juventus in a rematch of the 1973 and 1996 finals.

United and Barcelona have met twice in the final, in 2009 and 2011, with the Catalan giants winning on both occasions.

The draw means a return to Nou Camp for United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored a stoppage-time winner in United’s Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in 1999.

Although Barcelona were initially drawn to be at home in the first leg, the tie will take place at Old Trafford to accommodate neighbours Man City.

UEFA said ahead of the draw: “Manchester City and Manchester United will not be able to play at home on the same night, nor on consecutive nights, following a decision made by the relevant local authorities.

“Therefore, should both clubs be drawn at home in the same week, the team having finished lower in the domestic league the previous season – in this case Manchester United – will be reversed in accordance with the UEFA Club Competitions Committee principles.”

The first legs of the quarter-final ties will take place on April 9 and 10, with the second legs coming a week later on April 16 and 17.

Spurs will travel to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on April 20, live on Sky Sports, meaning the two sides will play three times in the space of 10 or 11 days.

Liverpool’s quarter-final against Porto will be a repeat of last year’s last-16 tie which Jurgen Klopp’s side won 5-0 on aggregate.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told the club’s official website: “What can I say? It’s Porto and we’ve played there already and we know how good we had to be last year.

“The result in the end was a strange one; it was very good for us, of course, but it was a strange one. In the second leg, we saw the character of Porto and the quality they have.

“I could not be further away from thinking it’s the best draw because it isn’t – it is just the draw, it’s the opponent we have to prepare for and that’s all we will be thinking about from when we start preparing for the game.”

Speaking about Manchester United’s tie with Barcelona, former Old Trafford boss David Moyes told Sky Sports News: “It’s an incredibly tough draw but a great draw. After beating Paris Saint-Germain you can take anybody on.

“A great occasion, the sort of games that Manchester United are used to and it will be a great night.”

The draw was also made for the semi-finals, where United would meet Liverpool, should both progress to the last four. Tottenham or Manchester City will face the winner of the quarter-final between Ajax and Juventus.

Abdul Baba Rahman has been recalled into the national team ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after a two-year absence.

Baba, who excelled on a six-month loan at French Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims, is returning to the squad since suffering an injury while playing for the nation at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

The experienced left-back has been named in a 29-man provisional squad announced by coach Kwesi Appiah on Tuesday.

He is expected to be key for the side in their quest to end a 37-year trophy drought.

I can’t disregard Akufo-Addo – Asamoah Gyan

I can’t disregard Akufo-Addo – Asamoah Gyan

Asamoah Gyan has made a u-turn on his decision to retire from the senior national team.
His decision follows a conversation between him and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday after he announced on Monday that he had recused himself from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and subsequently retired from the Black Stars.

The development, according to what Graphic Online has gathered followed a communication by Coach Kwasi Appiah to Gyan that he wants to make him the general captain of the team.

But in a statement issued Wednesday, the 33-year-old forward said he cannot disregard the President’s request for him to change his decision and has, for that matter, decided to make himself available for selection by Coach Kwasi Appiah.

“A presidential request is one that cannot be disregarded. I have had the opportunity to speak with the father of the nation, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, though respecting my wishes as spelt in my letter of 20th May, 2019, has asked me to rescind my decision to retire permanently from the Black Stars.

“I have taken the request of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in good faith, and will make myself available for selection by coach Kwasi Appiah.

“My desire to help Ghana end the over three-decade-long wait to annex the AFCON trophy still burns strong and I remain committed to serving this great nation and the people of Ghana,” the statement said.

The president of the West African country made the order when he spoke to the iconic striker on Tuesday evening just one day after he quit the national team in anger.

Gyan quit on Monday just weeks before the Africa Nations Cup sparking a huge national debate and disquiet in many quarters.

Gyan said his decision had been taken as a way to protest a plan by coach Kwesi Appiah to deny him the opportunity of captaining the Black Stars in next month’s Africa Nations Cup in Egypt.

But President Akufo Addo who is keen on helping the Black Stars win the title spoke to the Turkey-based player and urged him to reconsider his decision.

President Akufo-Addo, subsequently, also spoke on the telephone with Asamoah Gyan, and informed him of the considerable national disquiet over his decision to retire from the Black Stars,” the spokesman for the Ghana President, Eugene Arhin wrote in a statement on Tuesday night.

“The President urged him, in the national interest, to rescind his decision to retire from the Black Stars, and make himself available for selection by Coach Kwasi Appiah.”

Gyan retired just ahead of the Africa Nations Cup which kicks off on June 21.

The Black Stars are in Group F with Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau.

Gyan made his international debut at the age of 17 against Somalia in 2003.

He is Ghana’s all-time goal scorer in the national team with 51 goals in his 106 appearances.